Lot Essay
In terms of the European subject matter on this bottle the closest published example appears to be that illustrated by Hugh Moss, Victor Graham and Ka Bo Tsang, The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle, The J & J Collection, no. 173. The scenes of European ladies on that are painted more or less in mirror image and bear close comparison. Though the ladies on the present lot are less plump, their general demeanor, clothing and attitude are similar. Likewise, the backdrops of river landscapes and European buildings is similarly handled. Most other bottles depicting European ladies in landscape settings show rather more of the architectural backdrop and less of the landscape features
Another bottle of similar type was sold in these rooms June 2, 1994, lot 505. On that example the use of a vivid and striking orange ground, suggested by the delicate use of a yellow ground with a light pink wash and darker pink stippling, replaced the dark blue scrolling on a pale blue ground of this example. However, both are painted with similar pink landscape vignettes on the narrow sides
For a small, rounded rectangular bottle with European ladies on the broad sides and similar pink landscape panels on the narrow sides, see Hugh Moss, et al., op. cit., p. 279, no. 172, where the authors state, "The ruby vignettes painted in the side panels are taken directly from imported enamel panels. A small group of European enamel panels converted into boxes and covers during the Qianlong period, apparently in the Palace workshops, is known, and one of these has ruby enameled panels on a white ground. The ruby and white vignettes were common to highly Imperial production in the enameling workshops of the Beijing Palace, whether on metal, glass or porcelain, and were also echoed in ceramics at the Imperial porcelain works at Jingdezhen"
For other examples of ruby enamel painting on copper refer to ibid., no. 178, and for examples on glass, nos. 185 and 186. The first, no. 185, is superbly painted in pale enamels and the pink landscape vignettes set in a square panel on the side with unusually tall, curving rooflines and simply annotated windows could easily be from the same hand, or someone following a very similar design
The use of a rope-twist design around the larger scenes can also be found on another, previously unpublished, Imperial Qianlong-marked enamel bottle sold by Phillips in London, June 8, 1994, lot 415. That example also depicted a lady and child in a landscape setting on each side. The cherubic face of the boy with short, curly hair is very similar to the present lot, as is an area of dark-blue scrolling on a pale-blue ground near the foot. The treatment of the scrollwork with ruyi lappets at the neck and the use of pink landscape vignettes on the narrow sides all suggest the same hand at work. In fact, it is tempting to suggest that these two bottles, no. 172 in the J & J Collection, Moss, et al., ibid., and the example sold in these rooms June 2, 1994, lot 505, while definitely from the same workshop, are indeed all from the same hand. Another bottle, illustrated by Robert W. L. Kleiner, Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Collection of Mary and George Bloch, Hong Kong, 1987, no. 2, and an octagonal example sold in these rooms December 3, 1991, lot 428, also bear comparison
Another bottle of similar type was sold in these rooms June 2, 1994, lot 505. On that example the use of a vivid and striking orange ground, suggested by the delicate use of a yellow ground with a light pink wash and darker pink stippling, replaced the dark blue scrolling on a pale blue ground of this example. However, both are painted with similar pink landscape vignettes on the narrow sides
For a small, rounded rectangular bottle with European ladies on the broad sides and similar pink landscape panels on the narrow sides, see Hugh Moss, et al., op. cit., p. 279, no. 172, where the authors state, "The ruby vignettes painted in the side panels are taken directly from imported enamel panels. A small group of European enamel panels converted into boxes and covers during the Qianlong period, apparently in the Palace workshops, is known, and one of these has ruby enameled panels on a white ground. The ruby and white vignettes were common to highly Imperial production in the enameling workshops of the Beijing Palace, whether on metal, glass or porcelain, and were also echoed in ceramics at the Imperial porcelain works at Jingdezhen"
For other examples of ruby enamel painting on copper refer to ibid., no. 178, and for examples on glass, nos. 185 and 186. The first, no. 185, is superbly painted in pale enamels and the pink landscape vignettes set in a square panel on the side with unusually tall, curving rooflines and simply annotated windows could easily be from the same hand, or someone following a very similar design
The use of a rope-twist design around the larger scenes can also be found on another, previously unpublished, Imperial Qianlong-marked enamel bottle sold by Phillips in London, June 8, 1994, lot 415. That example also depicted a lady and child in a landscape setting on each side. The cherubic face of the boy with short, curly hair is very similar to the present lot, as is an area of dark-blue scrolling on a pale-blue ground near the foot. The treatment of the scrollwork with ruyi lappets at the neck and the use of pink landscape vignettes on the narrow sides all suggest the same hand at work. In fact, it is tempting to suggest that these two bottles, no. 172 in the J & J Collection, Moss, et al., ibid., and the example sold in these rooms June 2, 1994, lot 505, while definitely from the same workshop, are indeed all from the same hand. Another bottle, illustrated by Robert W. L. Kleiner, Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Collection of Mary and George Bloch, Hong Kong, 1987, no. 2, and an octagonal example sold in these rooms December 3, 1991, lot 428, also bear comparison